Slow-Roasted Pork Belly
I’ve been using this marinade with pork shoulder for a few years. Resplendent with the aroma of fennel, rosemary and thyme, citrus and a bottom end of smoked paprika and coarse ground peppercorns. Light garlic flavour, coarse sea salt offering just the right amount of seasoning and the natural pork flavours come out in this […]
White Giouvetsi With Chicken
Sometimes, less is more with a dish. When quality ingredients are selected, they should be allowed to shine, without sharing the stage (in this case the plate). I’ve been hankering for home-spun dishes of late…is it the cold? That we’re in January and full-on in the Winter Blues or that’s just the “food space” that […]
Roasted Sea Bass With Potatoes & Fennel
I’ve noticed that I’ve been seeing good quality (very fresh) sea bass and sea bream on the iced displays at local fishmongers. Both the sea bream and sea bass are a Mediterranean fish and as I looked on the side of the Styrofoam boxes that contain these fish packed in ice – they are shipped […]
Pork Tigania With Cabbage & Mushrooms
Today’s dish will transport you to a Greek taverna in the mountains. The sea is never more than three hours away in Greece but mountains are everywhere. I have a cousin in Greece, Stefanos and let’s just say he’s another “Kalofaga” or gourmet. Stefano once told me he loves winter! I find this odd coming […]
Giouvesti With Keftedes
During the holidays (December) most of us were running at a fast clip with work-related parties, dinners with family and friends and the big dinners around Christmas and New Year’s. December was a month to add some extra cheese, use more butter, creams, that extra-thick steak and ask for seconds of rich dessert. A lot […]
Braised Lamb Shanks & Beans
I had a steak earlier this week and it was just okay. I’m not eating as much meat as I used to and certainly less steak. At the same, I am greatly enjoying the tougher cuts of meat, the challenges in the kitchen to make them tender and relishing the triumph of tasting a delicious, […]
Grilled Kebabs
This past summer saw me travel to both Greece and Turkey: neighbors, once foes, current rivals and friendly neighbors. Confused? There’s a lot of history between these two nations and to this day, ripples from the Ottoman Empire are felt in Greece (some good, some bad). Greece and Turkey also share some similarities when it […]
Mushroom Risotto
The first real cold weather has finally arrived and although I didn’t put on a pair of Long Johns, I did tuck in for a comfy evening by the fireplace, a book and a glass of wine. The glass of wine afforded me the ability to use it for making this warm bowl of mushroom […]
The Vine Grower’s Lamb (Arni tou Ampelourgou)
This dish screams of the many memories that vividly replay in my mind from my vacation in Greece this past summer. I started off in Thessaloniki (northern Greece) and settled in at my parents’ summer home in Halkidiki. Soon after, I embarked on my first foodie-related excursion by traveling a mere 6km to a neighboring […]
Baked Whiting With Potato Gratin
Have you ever tasted the fish whiting before? If not, this dish might nudge you in that direction. Whiting is also known as hake and it’s found in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean. In Greek, we call whiting “bakalarakia” or little cod as they are related to the larger species. The fish is mild-tasting, slightly […]